"Fenrir Greyback is, perhaps, the most savage werewolf alive today. He regards it as his mission in life to bite and to conta­minate as many people as possible; he wants to create enough were­wolves to overcome the wizards. Voldemort has promised him prey in return for his services. Greyback specialises in children... Bite them young, he says, and raise them away from their parents, raise them to hate normal wizards."

Contents

Biography

Early life

At some point in his early life Fenrir was bitten by a werewolf and infected with lycanthropy. Throughout most of his life, his only goal in life was to infect as many people as possible, in order to create enough werewolves to defeat the wizarding world. Greyback would often purposefully place himself in close proximity with his victims before a full moon to ensure he would attack them after his transformation. One of Greyback's victims included Remus Lupin, whom Greyback attacked when Lupin's father offended him.[2]

First Wizarding War

Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf.

At some point either before or during the First Wizarding War, Greyback joined the service of Lord Voldemort. He did not join the Death Eaters, not because he believed in Voldemort's cause, but because allying himself with them would give him greater access to potential victims.[2] Although considered to be a Death Eater, Greyback was not given the Dark Mark on his forearm.[3] He was also not accepted as a Death Eater, as Voldemort was prejudiced against his lycanthropy.

Greyback was used as a weapon by Voldemort, who would often use the werewolf to intimidate individuals to do his bidding, threatening to send Greyback to attack their children.[2] After Voldemort was presumed killed in 1981 after his confrontation with the Potters at Godric's Hollow, Greyback was one of the Dark Lord's numerous followers who believed him to be dead and therefore did not make any attempt to find him.[2]

Battle of the Astronomy Tower

Dumbledore: "Is it you, Fenrir?"

Greyback: "Exactly. Pleased to see me, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore: "No, I cannot say that I am... Am I to take it that you are attacking even without the full moon now? This is most unusual... You have developed a taste for human flesh that cannot be satisfied once a month?"

Greyback, along with several Death Eaters, invaded Hogwarts on 30 June, 1997, cornering Albus Dumbledore atop the Astronomy Tower, much to Draco Malfoy's shock and Dumbledore's disgust. He was among those who urged Draco Malfoy to kill the Headmaster and attempted to take over the job himself, before Severus Snape stepped in.[2] During the subsequent battle against members of the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army, Greyback assaulted Bill Weasley, scarring his face. Fortunately for Bill, Greyback was not in his wolf form, and therefore he will not be a true werewolf, but only have some "wolfish" behavior. Greyback also tried to bite Harry Potter during the battle, but Harry retaliated with a Full Body-Bind Curse.[2]

As a Snatcher

Greyback: "A Weasley? So you're related to blood traitors even if you're not a Mudblood. And lastly, your pretty little friend…"

Scabior: "Easy, Greyback."

Greyback: "Oh, I'm not going to bite just yet. We'll see if she's a bit quicker at remembering her name than Barny. Who are you, girly?"

In the spring of 1998, Greyback and his gang captured Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley after they triggered the Taboo on Voldemort's name. After working through and nearly falling for the lies the three teens gave, Greyback and his gang brought them to Malfoy Manor, where Lucius, Narcissa and Draco Malfoy — as well as Bellatrix Lestrange — were residing. Greyback hoped to receive the two hundred thousand Galleon reward for capturing Potter (along with what he thought was the phoenix wand), and was also eager to bite Hermione.[3]

However, Bellatrix spotted Godric Gryffindor's Sword among the captives' possessions and became frantic, as she had believed it to be in her vault in Gringotts. When the Snatchers protested her taking it, she single-handedly defeated all four of them, much to Greyback's irritation. The Snatchers and Death Eaters were ultimately thwarted with the help of Dobby, the Malfoys' old house-elf, and Harry and the other captives all escaped. Dobby was unfortunately killed in the process.[3]

Battle of Hogwarts

Greyback attacking Lavender Brown

"Two bodies fell from the balcony overhead. As they reached the ground a grey blur that Harry took for an animal sped four-legged across the hall to sink its teeth into one of the fallen. "NO!" shrieked Hermione, and with a deafening blast from her wand, Fenrir Greyback was thrown backward from the feebly struggling body of Lavender Brown. He hit the marble banisters and struggled to return to his feet. Then, with a bright white flash and a crack, a crystal ball fell on top of his head, and he crumpled to the ground and did not move."

Physical appearance

Fenrir Greyback

Fenrir was a large, vicious-looking man with matted grey hair and whiskers. He had pointed teeth and long yellowish nails, adding to his bestial appearance. When he wore Death Eater robes, they were noted to look "uncomfortably tight". He did not have the Dark Mark branded onto his arm, despite his very close association with the Death Eaters.

Personality and traits

"Reckon she'll give me have a bit of the girl when she's finished with her? I'd say I'll get a bite or two, wouldn't you, ginger?"

Fenrir, having forsaken his humanity long ago, is driven by his animalistic hedonism. He seems to enjoy the taste of humans, even while in human form, perhaps even to the point of cannibalism.[2] During his capture of Hermione Granger, his threats to her had both cannibalistic and sexual overtones.[3] Greyback is also quite greedy, as he kept arguing with the Malfoy family about who would claim the bounties and glory of catching Harry Potter.[3]

Unlike most werewolves, Greyback takes advantage of his powers and savagery when transformed, and stations himself near his targets.

He enjoys attacking them and specializes in biting children, hoping to infect them and raise them to hate humanity, though sometimes killing them when going overboard. Despite his ideology of thinking werewolves deserve blood, and his attempt to recruit more werewolves for his cause, Greyback would ultimately seem to be just a primal savage who enjoys killing. Greyback's savagery is what differs him from most other werewolves: while most of them bite and infect unintentionally during only their transformed state, Greyback actually goes as far as eat and kill purposely whether in his human or werewolf form.

Being a werewolf, Greyback was not branded with the Dark Mark, despite being invited into the ranks of the Death Eaters and permitted to wear their robes.[3] This may have been because Lord Voldemort was prejudiced against half-breeds as well as Muggles and Muggle-borns. Therefore he would not allow Greyback to become an actual Death Eater, yet he was too valuable of an accomplice not to have in his ranks.

Physical combat: In order to fulfill his goal of spreading lycanthropy, Greyback has been known to fight with his hands and teeth, even in his human state. He is known to be very agile, having been described running (on all fours) as "a grey blur."

Etymology

Fenrir is one of many permutations of Fenrisulfr, the great wolf from Norse mythology. Like Fenrir, he is a savage beast concerned only with hunting and killing.

Greyback is likely a reference to his greying hair and grey fur in werewolf form that indicates his relation to the Greyback wolf.

In contrast to his very vicious behaviour in the books, Greyback has very little if anything to do in the films. In all three films in which he appears, he speaks twice, once in the Astromony Tower scene in Half-Blood Prince, and in Deathly Hallows: Part 1 when Harry says his name is Vernon Dudley and the Snatchers don't find the name on the list.

Dave Legeno actually had many animal hairs, such as goat hairs, glued onto him when he played Greyback.

He was possibly a pure-blood or half-blood, as he appeared to be prejudiced against Muggle-borns and called them "Mudbloods".

Greyback is likely based on French loup-garou tales coming from the 15th to 17th centuries. His language and appearance bear close connections to Jean Grenier. The latter was a young boy accused of being a werewolf.

In the Half-Blood Prince video game, during his attack on the Burrow, Fenrir takes Ginny hostage. When Harry arrives to save her he is seen standing over her. After the duel he is forced to retreat and sets the Burrow on fire with Bellatrix.

As it is unknown what happens to Fenrir after the Battle at Hogwarts. There is a slight chance that he managed to escape back to his pack (although unlikely, as Ron and Neville are described as "bringing him down" shortly before the death of Voldemort, most likely either killing or Stunning him).

Although werewolves are not truly affected by silver as they are in muggle legends, Fenrir was defeated by Ron and Neville during the Battle of Hogwarts, the latter of which may have been wielding a certain sword with a silver blade. However, the sword has Basilisk venom absorbed into its blade, so it is possible that if the sword had wounded or killed Greyback, it may have been because of the venom, not that the sword's blade is silver.